After years of struggle, public officials are moving to open shelters for homeless people in Ventura County.

The push has accelerated over the past several weeks with promises of collaboration and funding sources.

On Tuesday, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors directed the county staff to work with the cities of Oxnard and Ventura to develop a plan for operation of a foul-weather shelter and authorized a joint effort to find an operator for a year-round shelter. Supervisors asked for a status report by June or July, well before the annual winter warming shelter normally opens in December.

“It is imperative that we protect the homeless population,” said Supervisor John Zaragoza, who proposed the directive along with Supervisor Steve Bennett.

The winter shelter that rotates between the National Guard armories in Ventura and Oxnard has been a stopgap measure in the county with limited shelters. But officials’ efforts to build a year-round shelter have failed for years.

About six weeks earlier, the board endorsed a set of principles to kick-start construction of shelters for homeless people, offering the potential for matching financial support to cities.

On Feb. 22, 2018, volunteers set out across Ventura County to try to count the local homeless population. It's part of an annual effort.
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR

Oxnard and Ventura are the cities where most of the homeless population in the county lives, according to annual surveys. Officials in both cities have supported the county’s initiative to work together to build and open shelters.

Oxnard has identified a building, although the amount of funding won’t be known until the budget for the next fiscal year is set, Housing Director Arturo Casillas said Tuesday. Ventura supports the county’s effort to find a qualified operator of a year-round shelter, according to a letter from city Community Development Director Jeff Lambert.

The Ventura City Council also has adopted land-use rules to allow a shelter and services, set aside $300,000 in funding and is seeking help from the county to find a site, his letter stated.

The supervisors’ direction came after they reviewed a report showing that the number of homeless residents rose almost 13 percent from the previous year, up to almost 1,300.

That marked the first increase since 2012, said Tara Carruth, a county specialist in homelessness issues.

The figure includes people living in temporary housing and emergency shelters as well as those who are on the streets. More concerning, she said, was an increase of almost 24 percent in the unsheltered population.

The latter figure reflects people living in parks, under bridges, on the streets and in encampments, abandoned buildings and vehicles. Carruth said some of that increase could have been driven by the fact that survey takers visited encampments for the first time.

Supervisors also supported the development of a regional plan to address homelessness and backed goals aimed at ending homelessness among veterans, children, and youths ages 18 to 24.

The supervisors’ decision to take part in the plan could lead to an infusion of state funding, Senior Deputy Executive Officer Christy Madden said.

Under Senate Bill 2, fees from recording of real estate documents are expected to generate more than $100 million a year to support affordable housing and curb homelessness. Although it’s unclear how much of that could come to Ventura County, the legislation created a new and reliable source of funding, state officials said.